Kukla's Korner Hockey

This was a kick to the stomach. The most-hated guy on the most-hated team came into our town and won it with a blazing slap shot in the early seconds of a power play. The Bruins had outplayed the hated Habs for almost all of the third and fourth periods, outshooting Montreal, 28-12, in that 40-minute stretch. But they were beaten after Patrice Bergeron lost a faceoff in the Boston zone at the start of a penalty kill.

Watching Subban hit the winner was like watching Bill Laimbeer beat the Celtics with a 3-pointer at the buzzer. It was like watching A-Rod beat the Red Sox with a homer in extra innings.

The rational part of us remembers that the Bruins also lost Game 1 at home in their first-round series against the Red Wings, then went on to beat Detroit four straight times.

“This is just Game No. 1 here,’’ said ever-measured Bruins coach Claude Julien. “You don’t get frustrated after one game.’’

Right. But it’s hard to be rational when the Bruins play the Canadiens in the playoffs. There’s too much history. Too much emotion. Too many ghosts.